Studies which purport to correlate death with lack of health insurance have been routinely debunked, but that hasn't stopped the uber-liberal Urban Institute from continuing to peddle its faux-science:

Of course, these numbers are based on a previously published (and debunked) study, so there's really no new ground here.

Or is there?

Fellow medblogger Megan McArdle, herself considered "uninsurable" [ed: bet she hasn't asked Bob or Bill for help], questions not just the numbers, but the underlying assumption that lack of health insurance necessarily means lack of health care:

She points to increased risk factors of those who are uninsured, including smoking and obesity, that could also account for increased mortality independent of insurance status. She also cites research that seems to support the opposite view: that lack of health insurance has no bearing on mortality.

Controversial? Of course, but the numbers support this contention, as well.

Studies which purport to correlate death with lack of health insurance have been routinely debunked, but that hasn't stopped the uber-liberal Urban Institute from continuing to peddle its faux-science:

Of course, these numbers are based on a previously published (and debunked) study, so there's really no new ground here.

Or is there?

Fellow medblogger Megan McArdle, herself considered "uninsurable" [ed: bet she hasn't asked Bob or Bill for help], questions not just the numbers, but the underlying assumption that lack of health insurance necessarily means lack of health care:

She points to increased risk factors of those who are uninsured, including smoking and obesity, that could also account for increased mortality independent of insurance status. She also cites research that seems to support the opposite view: that lack of health insurance has no bearing on mortality.

Controversial? Of course, but the numbers support this contention, as well.